LYNCHBURG, TN (Feb. 25, 2013) – The number one goal coach Jerry Nichols set for his Motlow Bucks before the season started was to win the TCCAA regular season championship and clinch the first trip to the NJCAA tournament in school history.

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The Bucks finished off the regular season with an 82-73 win over Jackson State in Jackson Saturday afternoon. Although most TCCAA teams still have at least one conference game remaining this week, the Bucks have over a week to prepare for the conference tournament.

Now that the national tournament trip is secure, the next goal is to win the TCCAA tournament, which begins Tuesday, March 5 at Copperweld Arena. The Bucks are the top men’s seed and will play their first game on Thursday, March 7 at 2 p.m.
A tournament championship would increase Motlow’s seeding position at the national tournament in Kansas significantly. Any team that enters the tournament as both regular season and tournament champion of any of the NJCAA’s sixteen regions is bound to get a favorable seed.

The Bucks (22-3, 17-1) will have to win three games to accomplish the next goal, which would push their record to 25-3 heading to Hutchinson, Kan. on March 18 for the national event. With that record and both titles, it seems a safe bet that the Bucks could be a top ten seed.

Although it is very difficult to compare the Bucks with some of the other top teams across the nation, having never seen those other teams play, Motlow certainly passes the eye test as a team that has the potential to compete for the national championship.
Motlow has it all on the court – great guard play from Kevonta Black, Kerrell Davis, JC Bonny, and DJ Jones; versatile and long wing players like Sean Gardner, Perrin Buford, Jerron Washington, Bryan Thomas and Raul Tutton; powerful forwards such as Chris Hawkins, Andre Brown, Jeff Graham and Charles Waters; and a physical post presence with Michael Tomlin, Sterling Smoak and Darryl Bond.

All 16 of these players have played in almost all of Motlow’s games this season as the Bucks have blown away most of their opponents. Their three losses came against Lawson State, Gadsden State and Volunteer State, with the first two coming back-to-back in late November. That means the Bucks have lost one game in the previous three months.

The 2012-13 season has been one that will not be forgotten by the history books. However, there are still goals to be accomplished, trophies to be hoisted, and dreams to be realized.